Gary Simonsen

Gary holds Bachelor and Masters degrees from Wilfrid Laurier University. He has been recognized as one of the top 50 most influential leaders in real estate in North America and helped CREA receive gold certification from Excellence Canada. Prior to his role leading CREA, Gary ran a successful consulting practice where he assisted organizations to build practical strategic plans, strong leadership teams and confident boards of directors. His work and consulting experience span a broad range of industries and organizational settings. Having hands on experience he brings a thoughtful, practical and insightful approach to Board leadership, governance, planning, and issue management. He has facilitated and led many strategic planning sessions, Board orientations and governance reviews. At a volunteer level, he has been actively engaged in numerous community, civic and charity based organizations. It reflects his strong belief that, whether at work or at home, we all have a responsibility to contribute to making our communities better places.